IVF treatment 'could double the risk of ovarian cancer'
- Researchers say further research on a potential link is needed
Scientists have discovered ovarian cancer rates were twice as high among those who had gone through IVF
Fertility treatment could double the risk of ovarian cancer, researchers have warned.
Rates of the disease were twice as high among those who had gone through IVF - which forces the ovaries to produce extra eggs - than in those who hadn't, scientists from the Netherlands Cancer Institute discovered.
Their study also revealed that ovary stimulation quadrupled the risk of non-fatal, slow-growing 'borderline ovarian tumours'.
Despite the results being 'concerning' to scientists, it was not considered statistically significant as the numbers involved were so low.
Conclusions were drawn from data of more than 19,000 women who had received at least one form of fertility treatment, and 6,000 women who had not undergone IVF treatment.
Of 61 women who had ovarian malignancies in the IVF treatment group, 31 had borderline ovarian cancer and 30 had invasive cancer.
Lead researcher Professor Flora van Leeuwen said: 'This study is the first to include a comparison group of subfertile women not treated with IVF.
'Our data clearly show that ovarian stimulation for IVF is associated with an increased risk of borderline ovarian tumours and this risk remains elevated up to more than 15 years after the first cycle of treatment.'
Published in the journal Human Reproduction, the research was described as 'a concerning finding' despite the numbers involved being very small.
Prof van Leeuwen said following this preliminary investigation a more comprehensive study including a
further 8,800 women will allow the team to draw firm conclusions.
Co-author, Prof Curt Burger told the BBC: 'The main message is that women who have had IVF shouldn't be alarmed. The incidence of ovarian cancer was extremely low.'
Dr Claire Knight, from Cancer Research UK, added: 'This interesting study suggests a possible link between ovarian stimulation for IVF and borderline ovarian tumours, but it certainly doesn't show that IVF causes invasive ovarian cancer.
'There were only a relatively small number of cases in this study, and the researchers didn't find that risk increased with the number of cycles a woman had, making conclusions hard to reach.'
She advised that women can reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by being a non-smoker, maintaining a healthy weight and balanced diet.